Jian Yu Bai stood at the door for a moment before stepping across the threshold, and then he pushed the door shut behind him - this action deepened the vigilance and defense in Song Yi's eyes.

  He slowly walked up to Song Yixiao, but didn't have the intention of making a move on her. Instead, he showed a hint of difficulty and opened his mouth, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

  "Anything wrong?" Song Yi smiled suspiciously at him.

  "......I suppose?" Jian Yu's voice was filled with uncertainty, and after a long pause, her pale face turned slightly red as she spoke in a low voice, "I heard my uncle say that all you girls know how to throw tantrums, I don't know what methods you use to throw tantrums at home with your father..."

  After finishing speaking, he was already flushed with embarrassment, looking up at the sky and down at the ground, but not daring to look at Song Yisheng - it's okay to ask a girl three years younger than himself for advice, but asking how to coax his own father is really embarrassing!

  Actually, Song Yi Xiao is not much better off either!

  She was stunned for a long time before saying with a complicated expression: "It should be like throwing a tantrum to mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers, right? They're all elders after all."

  “…but the tricks I used to make my grandmother and mother happy don’t work on my father!” Anyway, Jian Yu didn't care about saving face anymore. He let out his frustrations openly, “My dad likes my third brother the most, then my sister, and finally me - Uncle said it's because Father values seniority, and also because Sister is a girl who can be spoiled!”

  He looked at Song Yisheng with expectation, "At your age, you should be the most spoiled one, right? How do you deal with your father at home?"

  Song Yi Xiao bit her lip, unsure whether to cry or vomit blood: "That... I'm afraid I won't be able to help you - in gaining Father's favor, I failed miserably. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been rejected by my father and forced to follow my mother to the Hengshan Wang Fu to live under their roof!"

  "…Refused at the door?!" Jian Yu Bai stared at her in shock, "What kind of heinous crime did you commit?! You're still so young and your father already doesn't want you?"

  Although it's true that Song Yixiao's actions led to some pretty terrible consequences, she would never admit to them, so upon hearing this, she immediately became teary-eyed: "I was only eight years old, what could I have possibly done?"

  Jian Xūbái began to ponder.

  Song Yi laughed: "Ha ha ha!"

  To prevent this guy from getting away with it, she weakly reminded him, "The Song Liu's case was said to have caused a stir in the whole city before. Haven't you heard anything about it?"

  "I only left the palace yesterday, and the Empress Dowager's management of the palace is very strict. The palace maids don't dare to gossip." Jian Yu frowned, "What about Song Liu Shi?"

  He probably came home just to get his father to celebrate his birthday - the result was that he rushed out of the palace to welcome him, but got a slap in the face instead. Depressed, he ran to the silk store to wait for his father to coax him, and unfortunately, neither his father nor his brother came. If it weren't for his uncle coming to mediate, he would probably have lost face directly...

  The thought flashed through Song Yishang's mind, and she calmed down, recounting the previous events: "...then I was taken to the Hengshan Wangfu by my mother."

  "Was your stepmother deceived by someone?" Jian Yu Bai listened and didn't scold Liu Shi like others, but instead thought for a moment and said, "If she really had the heart to sell you to a brothel, how could she let you be fine? You were already eight years old and able to remember things. Even if that madam didn't want to send you back to the Wei family, wasn't she afraid you'd find an opportunity to expose her in the future?"

  "If I were your stepmother, I would definitely give you a dumb medicine first, then cut off your tendons, so that you can't speak or write. Even if we meet face to face, you won't be able to accuse me of harming you - only then will I feel at ease selling you out!"

  Are you human?!!

  Song Yi stared at him with a stunned expression, and a hint of fear rose in her heart: Is he... suspecting me?

  Jian Yu Bai didn't look at her, thought for a moment and said: "This matter seems to be targeting you, but in reality, the ones who are deeply harmed are first your stepmother, second her natal family, and third the Song family. As for you, apart from slightly damaging your reputation, you actually haven't suffered any real losses! Moreover, public opinion has been overwhelmingly sympathetic towards you, which has almost made up for the damage to your reputation."

  Song Yi's face turned red with rage upon hearing this!

  "He continued, 'So I think the one who sold you out is not your stepmother, but...' He said meaningfully, 'It's someone who harbors hatred towards both the Song and Liu families!'"

  Song Yi smiled awkwardly and subconsciously grasped her sleeve tightly, thinking anxiously: Will he invite me or not? What will he do if he doesn't?!

  She almost trembled with fear and remained silent—

  Jian Yu's eyes sparkled with confidence as he said, "It's the Wei family!"

  "......" Song Yi Xiao almost fainted and weakly fell back onto the hidden pouch!

  "Silly girl, you've been used by your in-laws! That Wu mom and the matchmaker who sent you to the Wei family were definitely arranged by the Wei family themselves! The purpose was to frame your stepmother using the grievances of the Song family towards you and the lack of education from the Liu family to eliminate the trouble brought to the Wei family by your mother's remarriage!" Jian Yu Bai said with a sympathetic tone, "Your father probably also knows who the real culprit is, but can't find any evidence, so he can't do anything about the Wei family and can only vent his anger on you!"

  Song Yi laughed and took a deep breath, sprang up with spirit, and looked at him with great admiration: "You're so clever, you thought of all this in an instant, I couldn't think of it!"

  "You're still young." Jian Yu Bai encouraged with a calm and composed demeanor, "When you reach my age, pay more attention to observing and thinking, and naturally, you won't be easily deceived like now."

  Song Yixiao nodded repeatedly, sincerely hoping that he would continue to be so wise - the two of them were like old friends at first sight, chatting extremely happily until Zhiqin came over with a bell.

  Song Yi Xiao and the servants did not recognize Jian Yu Bai, they could only guess, but Ling Dang, as Wei Mengying's personal maid, had seen this young prince when following Wei Mengying into the palace to pay respects to the empress dowager.

  He saw him and Song Yixiao talking alone in the room, with a hint of surprise flashing across his face, followed by some furtive joy. After asking for peace, he respectfully conveyed Wei Mengying's thanks and apologies: "My king's wife originally planned to come in person, but unfortunately there are still some trivial matters——"

  No way!

  The real reason is that Zhiqin Fang's heart was all tied up with Song Yixiao's injury, and he didn't pay attention to Jian Xubai's identity at all. Wei Mengying was a princess after all, and it was said that she was only a young man who was not much older than her own daughter, so she didn't bother to come in person.

  However, Jian Yu Bai didn't mind: "It was I who wronged Song Mei Mei first, and I should be the one to apologize to Wei Wang Fei. But today is my birthday, and a banquet has already been set up in the Long Gong Zhu's residence. I'm afraid that if I go late, the elders will have to wait, so I can only put off Song Mei Mei for now. Let me make amends another day at Heng Shan Wang Fu."

  They two got along so well that they already regarded each other as siblings.

  Ling Tong noticed that Song Yixiao was even more admired, and Wei Mengying exchanged a few pleasantries with Jian Xubai. After asking if Song Yixiao could move now, she volunteered to carry her back - not far from the door, looking around to make sure no one was there, she asked in a hurry: "Miss Song, you and Master Jian...?"